Haute & Freddy – Spinning Platters

I love music festivals. They are like a tasting menu for music, and probably my favorite way to discover new acts. Past Outside Lands have made me fall for The Marias (playing early in the day on the smallest stage), Ashe, underscores, Odie Leigh, CMAT, Samia, and even a little artist named Sabrina Carpenter. (Seriously, I had no idea what to expect from her, but was pretty much amazed from beginning to end). I’ve spent the last few weeks listening to acts on the lower half of the original poster, and I’m here to help you navigate the best and brightest of the undercard for Outside Lands this year. The full lineup is here, and tickets are sold out, but you can join the waitlist here.

Die Spitz Continue reading “Top 10 from the Bottom Half of the Outside Lands 2026 Poster”

Additional Reporting and Photos by Matthew Meyer and Dakin Hardwick

Portola has figured out how to live in the impossible: a perfect balance between a giant warehouse rave, an art-party fever dream, and a legacy showcase built around titans like The Chemical Brothers and LCD Soundsystem. The festival grounds themselves were half the trip, stages stretched across a working port, tucked between hulking cranes and an airplane-hangar-sized warehouse. One side of the grounds was dominated by a massive ship; the other opened out onto the Bay, where the breeze mercifully cut through the heat.

Scantily clad post-Burning Man pilgrims roamed like the playa had drifted into San Francisco, fur and neon armor still glowing. Unlike so many other festivals, Portola spared us the dreaded sound bleed; every stage claimed its own sonic territory without stepping on another’s toes. Continue reading “Portola 2025: In Words and Pictures”